Structure for sealing a gun shield in a gun turret



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STRUCTURE FOR SEALING A GUN SHIELD IN A GUN TURRET Filed March 9, 1966 3Sheets-Sheet .3

United States Patent 3,370,507 STRUCTURE FOR SEALING A GUN SHIELD IN AGUN TURRET Karl Famrnler, Dusseldorf, and Gustav Domke, Ratingen,Germany, assignors to Firma Rheinmetall G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, GermanyFiled Mar. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 533,058 Claims priority, applicationGermany, Mar. 11, 1965, R 40,086 2 Claims. (Cl. 89-36) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A gun turret for an automatic weapon having a shield with amounting for the shield to permit movement in a vertical plane relativeto the turret and having a sealin g structure to seal the shield in theturret.

The invention relates to gun turrets or armoured cupolas, moreparticularly for armoured vehicles, which are equipped with automaticweapons. The weapon can be swivelled together with a shield on which theweapon is mounted in the vertical direction, and the invention concernsthe sealing of the movable shield in relation to the gun turret orcupola.

The invention is characterised by a slide of telescopically variablelength, one end of which is held on the gun turret, while the other endcarries a sealing bar which is constantly urged against the shield. Aspring may be used to press the sealing bar against the shield.

An advantageous subsidiary feature of the invention is the provision ofan entrainment member on the periphery of the shield and which couplesthe slide to the shield for movement therewith when a certain elevationof the weapon is exceeded.

By way of example only, an embodiment of the invention will now bedescribed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawingswhich show the embodiment in simplified form and in which:

FIG. 1 is a section through the gun turret and shield,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding plan view,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views showing the sealing slide in differentpositions, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the slide in accordance with FIG. 2 on a largerscale.

In a gun turret 1, for example, the turret or cupola of an armoredvehicle, an automatic weapon 2 is mounted so that it can be swivelledtogether with a curved shield 3 in the vertical plane about a pivot 4.The shield 3 has parts of different radii of curvature r and R in theregion where it projects through the wall of the turret. The radius rlies in the region where the shield projects through the roof of theturret and is substantially smaller than the radius R of the part belowthat region. As a result, it is possible to move the shield pivot 4further back as compared with existing turrets and so obtain a largerange of elevation whilst keeping the turret low and of smalldimensions.

An opening 5 for ejection of spent cartridge cases is provided in theshield above the weapon.

In an aperture 6 in the roof of the turret there is arranged atelescopic slide 7 having a part 8 with bearing studs 9 located inarcuate or sector-shaped recesses 11 in two side walls of the slide. Theside walls 10 are fixed by means of screws 12 to the turret roof or toretaining bars 13 attached to the turret roof and have defining edgesurfaces corresponding to the radius r of the shield.

A sealing bar 14 which can pivot in the vertical plane of the slide 7 isprovided at that end of the latter which faces the shield and isarticulated to the slide at 22. The sealing bar 14 is urged against theouter surface of the shield, as shown, by means of a spring pressuredevice 15, one end of which is attached to the upper part 8 of theslide, while the other end is secured to the slide 7. The sealing bar 14has a disc-shaped guide piece 16 at each of its ends, each guide pieceengaging by means of a pin 17 in a guide groove 18 provided in each ofthe side walls 10.

When the weapon is swung upward, the shield slides in relation to theslide 7, which at first maintains unchanged its position as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3. When a certain position of elevation is exceeded, aspring-loaded entrainment member 19, which is arranged in a recess inthe wall of the cylindrical shield so that it can be depressed into therecess against the spring loading, couples the shield to the slide insuch manner that when the weapon is swung further the slide is carriedalong into the poistion shown in FIG. 4. The coupling of the shield tothe slide is effected in the following manner: As the shield is swung,the entrainment member 19 which is of clawlike form having risingsurfaces 20 on each side of a central recess, the surfaces beinginclined in the direction of the swinging or swivelling movement, isdepressed inwardly at piont 21 by the circular defining surface of theside wall 10 until it is projected outwardly again in the region of theguide groove 18 and embrace the pin 17. When the swinging action iscontinued, the shield and the sealing bar 14 now move together, theslide 7 performing sliding movements in the upper part 8 and the latterbeing swung about its pivots 9.

For the purpose of achieving thorough sealing of the interior of theturret, seals 23 are provided between the moving and stationary parts ofthe turret and the shield, these seals consisting of rubber, plastics orfelt strips and being arranged, for example, in the lateral edges of theslide and on the underside of the sealing bar 14. 24 is a seal securedto the turret roof which seals the aperture 6 in the latter against theupper part of the slide.

We claim:

1. A gun turret for an automatic weapon comprising a weapon shield, amounting for said shield permitting movement thereof in a vertical planerelatively to said turret, a sealing assembly for sealing said shield tosaid turret, said assembly comprising a variable-length member mountedupon the turret, a sealing device attached to said variable-lengthmember, resilient means urging said device into contact with externalsurface of said shield, said variable-length member havingtelescopically-engaged components for permitting length variation ofsaid member, an entrainment member for coupling the sealing assembly tothe shield when the movement of the latter in said vertical planeexceeds a predetermined value, a claw-like component in said entrainmentmember engaging said sealing assembly, and a resilient mounting for saidclaw-like component in a recess in said surface of said shield.

2. A gun turret for an automatic weapon comprising a curved shield, amounting for said shield permitting movement thereof in a vertical planerelatively to said turret, a sealing assembly on the shield and turretfor seal- References Cited ing said shield to said turret, said assemblycomprising 2. UNITED TE PATENTS telescoping member mounted on the shieldand the turret, a sealing device secured to said telescoping member, a3241'446 3/1966 Wey 89 36 spring urging said sealing device into contactwith the ex- 5 FO I P N ternal surface of said shield, said telescopingmember 1 105 313 4/1961 Germany having engaging components forpermitting length variation, and a coupling connecting said sealingdevice to said BENJAMIN BORCHELT Primary Examine, telescoping member topermit pivotal movement of said sealing device about an axis at rightangles to the length 10 SAMUEL FEINBERG 0f Said telescoping member- S.C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner.

